Environmental Defence Canada
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Environmental Defence Canada (formerly known as the Canadian Environmental Defence Fund) is a nonprofit environmental organization based in Toronto. The environmental action group, founded in 1984, is known for its effectiveness and innovative work on issues relating to environment and human health including urban sprawl, tar sands, global warming, toxic chemicals, water quality and endangered species. It is often cited for its leadership on banning BPA in baby bottles in Canada, the first country in the world to create such a ban.[1] Environmental Defence was also instrumental in the creation of the federal Chemicals Management Plan.[2]
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[edit] Major Campaigns
Environmental Defence is a leader on several Canadian issues and spearheads a multitude of national campaigns, including:
- Green Power - Environmental Defence helped lay the foundation for Ontario's Green Energy and Economy Act (2009) [3],a North American first for renewable energy and green jobs.
- Protecting Ontario's Greenbelt - Environmental Defence was one of the key players in the creation of the world's largest greenbelt [4] in Ontario in 2005. The organization now oversees the Ontario Greenbelt Alliance, which works to protect and expand the Greenbelt to new regions.
- Just Beautiful - The Just Beautiful campaign aims to ban cancer-causing chemicals in personal care products and demand full disclosure on products on Canadian shelves.
- Exposing the tar sands - The tar sands are the fastest growing source of global warming pollution in Canada [5]. The organization works to transition away from fossil fuels [6].
- Canada's Next Green Journalist - Environmental Defence is the Canadian subsidiary of the Foundation for Environmental Education(FEE), and runs an annual environmental journalism competition as part of Young Reporters for the Environment (YRE).
- Blue Flag Canada - As a part of FEE, Environmental Defence also runs the Blue Flag program in Canada, identifying beaches that meet strict criteria on water quality, environmental education, environmental management, and safety and services [7].
- Great Lakes and Lake Simcoe Protection - Environmental Defence played a role in creating the Lake Simcoe Protection Act [8] and in securing commitments for a future Great Lakes Protection Act [9].
- Blue Green Canada - Blue Green Canada is an alliance between Environmental Defence and United Steelworkers working on key areas of global trade, the use of toxic chemicals in commercial activity, the creation of green manufacturing jobs, and the development of strategies to address climate change.
- SERA - Environmental Defence worked in close partnership with Holcim Canada to develop Socially and Environmentally Responsible Aggregates (SERA)[10], an organization that sets standards for certification of responsibly sourced aggregates (sometimes referred to as green gravel).
[edit] Key Accomplishments
Key accomplishments of Environmental Defence include:
- 1992 - Worked with other environmental groups to win a precedent-setting case in the Supreme Court of Canada that ruled the federal government must perform environmental assessments of all projects needing federal permits. [11]
- 1994 - Helped prevent construction of a municipal waste incinerator in Halifax.[12]
- 1996 - Helped pass a Toronto by-law legalizing naturalized gardens on residential property.[13]
- 1998 - Worked with the Innu Nation in Newfoundland to win a case at the Newfoundland Court of Appeal that ruled exploration work at the Voisey's Bay nickel mine must follow full environmental assessment rules.[14]
- 2001 - Helped launch a $750 million class action lawsuit against Inco Limited for the contamination caused by its Port Colborne refinery. [15][16]
- 2002 - Helped halt construction of a large hog factory farm in Flagstaff County, Alberta.[17]
- 2003 - Helped establish a Toronto bylaw restricting pesticide use on lawns; releases study showing pressure-treated wood is leaching arsenic into children’s sandboxes.[18][19]
- 2004 - Spearheaded creation of 1,800,000-acre (7,300 km2) greenbelt in southern Ontario.[20]
- 2005 - Certified four Toronto beaches the first blue flag beaches in Canada.[21]
- 2006 – Worked to get new Clean Water Act passed in Ontario.[22]
- 2006 – Toxic Nation campaign led to new national plan to better regulate toxic chemicals.<ref/”Harper introduces $300M plan to make Canada leader in chemical crackdown,” The National Post, page A6 – December 9, 2006</ref>
- 2007 - Helped pass Endangered Species Act in Ontario.[23]
- 2008 - Helped ban BPA in baby bottles, the first such ban in the world [24]
[edit] Environmental Defence websites
[edit] References
- ^ "Ottawa to ban baby bottles made with bisphenol A," CBC News, 2008.
- ^ http://www.environmentaldefence.ca/pressroom/viewnews.php?id=568
- ^ http://www.greenenergyact.ca/Page.asp?PageID=122&ContentID=1116&SiteNodeID=215&BL_ExpandID=
- ^ http://www.mah.gov.on.ca/Page187.aspx
- ^ http://www.pembina.org/oil-sands/os101/climate
- ^ http://environmentaldefence.ca/campaigns/exposing-tar-sands
- ^ http://environmentaldefence.ca/campaigns/blue-flag-canada
- ^ http://environmentaldefence.ca/campaigns/saving-lake-simcoe
- ^ http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/politics/provincialelection/article/1055595--liberals-pledge-52-million-for-great-lakes-cleanup
- ^ http://environmentaldefence.ca/articles/new-collaboration-sets-path-towards-responsibly-sourced-construction-materials-in-ontario
- ^ "Friends of the Oldman River Society v. Canada (Minister of Transport), [1992] 1 S.C.R. 3" [Supreme Court of Canada Decision - January 23, 1992], site accessed 03/08/2007 http://scc.lexum.umontreal.ca/en/1992/1992rcs1-3/1992rcs1-3.html
- ^ "N.S. trashes plan to build garbage incinerator in Halifax," The Gazette, page A8 - July 16, 1994
- ^ "Weeds win Charter rights," The Globe and Mail, page A8 - September 13, 1996
- ^ "Court approves injunction to halt Voisey construction," The Province, page A18 - August 27, 1997
- ^ "Residents sue over contaminated soil," The Toronto Star, page A4 - March 27, 2001
- ^ "Group moves to help residents in Inco case," Sudbury Star, page A5 - December 6, 2002.
- ^ "Factoryfarm.org: Success Stories 2003" site accessed 14/08/2007 http://www.factoryfarm.org/resources/success/2003/
- ^ "Council OKs bylaw to curb law pesticide," Globe and Mail, page A18 - May 23, 2003
- ^ "Arsenic threat lurks in playground soil," The Globe and Mail, page A8 - January 5, 2003.
- ^ "Greenbelt plan put into action; McGuinty unveils map of 325-km arc of protected land," Toronto Star, page A07 - March 1, 2005.
- ^ "Beaches receive safety certification," The Globe and Mail, page A10 - June 28, 2005.
- ^ ”Ontario legislature passes Clean Water Act,” The National Post, page A6 – October 19, 2006
- ^ "MPPs pass species-at-risk bill," Toronto Star, page A7 - May 17, 2006.
- ^ "Ottawa to ban baby bottles made with bisphenol A," CBC News, 2008.
